This invention relates to hemostatic therapeutic compositions and, more particularly to compositions and methods for bringing about hemostasis intraorally or for dermatological applications.
In dentistry, it is often required to temporarily retract gingival tissues in order to prepare patients for taking impressions, setting crowns, or providing other dental therapeutic treatment. Presently, an often used method for bringing about gingival retraction is a mechanical method involving insertion of a gingival retraction cord into the sulcus between the gingiva and the tooth. This method poses several problems. Gingival retraction cords often produce excessive mechanical retraction which is often irreversible. Also, many cords deteriorate following subgingival placement and are difficult to retrieve. Remnants of cord fibers are often entrapped in the sulcus, and this condition usually elicits a foreign body reaction and may result in distorted impressions.
Another present method for retracting gingival tissue involves the direction application of an astringent solution to the gingival crevice. A problem associated with the use of present astringent solutions is that they generally rapidly flow away from the gingival crevice and do not sustain their astringent action for an adequate period of time.
An additional requirement in a procedure for bringing about gingival retraction is maintaining hemostasis. Use of a gingival retraction cord as described above is a cause of substantial capillary hemorrhage. Use of readily washed away astringent solutions is often ineffective for bringing about adequate hemostasis.
For both intraoral and dermatological applications, present astringent and hemostatic materials for application to body tissues are comprised of active ingredients which immediately react with the body tissues upon contact therewith. If a practitioner applies an excessively large quantity of such material to the tissues, then those tissues are immediately subjected to an excessively large quantity of reactive agent. A problem that may result from such an occurrence is that delicate tissues may be irritated by the excess astringent substances.
Presently used gingival retraction agents are most commonly aluminum base materials. This is so because the aluminum base materials are readily impregnated into conventional gingival retraction cord material. Even though it is known that ferric sulfate astringent is milder and less iritating to gingival tissues, ferric sulfate is not generally used as an impregnant for gingival cords because of its inferior ability to impregnate into the cord.
The present art of bandages to be applied topically to skin surfaces discloses astringent hemostatic agents impregnated into bandage substrate materials. However, there are problems associated with such bandages which are similar to problems associated with conventionally impregnated gingival retraction cords relating to an excess of astringent agent being applied to delicate body tissues. There are no bandages presently impregnated with astringent agents that are released only upon demand.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an astringent and hemostatic composition which provides an active astringent and hemostatic agent on demand for contact with body tissues and therefore does not subject the delicate tissues to excessive quantities of reactive agents which cause tissue irritation.
An advantage of the invention is the provision of a composition and method for bringing about reversible gingival retraction and effective hemostasis.
Another advantage of the invention is the provision of a method which does not rely upon mechanical structures such as a cord for bringing about gingival retraction.
Still another advantage of the invention is the provision of an astringent composition which brings about gingival retraction and provides hemostasis without readily washing away.
Yet another advantage of the invention is the provision of a method and composition for controlling the amount of active hemostatic agent which contacts the gingival tissues.
Another advantage of the invention is the provision of a composition and method for applying ferric sulfate astringent in adequate quantities to gingival tissues.
Another advantage of the invention is the provision of a bandage for topical application to skin areas wherein the bandage contains an astringent hemostatic agent which is released on demand.